Toy hand grenade



Feb. 6, 1962 R. M. RAGO TOY HAND GRENADE Filed Sept. 18, 1958 22 /729 92 J2' a l5 f20/2 THT LUJ /9 INVENToR. R066@ M. @A60 BY Afro/wif 3,019,554 TOY HAND GRENADE Rocco M. Rage, Rockford, lll., assigner to Andrew I". Wintercorn, Rockford, lll. Filed Sept. 18, 1958, Ser. No. 761,369 14 Claims. (Cl. t5-260) This invention relates to toys and, more particularly, toy hand grenades.

The principal object is to provide a thoroughly safe and harmless toy of the kind mentioned, although it resembles the actual hand grenades, the main differences being that a cap such as is commonly used in toy cap pistols and the like is used as the noisemaker, and the main body part of the grenade is of hollow rubber bulb construction and the device is otherwise of light weight, so that no harm is apt to be done if a child happens to be hit with it during play.

A salient feature of the invention is the use of an air vent in the rubber bulb body as the timer for the grenade, a plunger forming a part of a load-and-fire mechanism and reciprocable in a cylinder, the same being set in a raised cocked position at one end of the cylinder against the compression of a spring and locked releasably in said position by the swinging laterally of a trigger arm into the laterally extending end of a bayonet slot provided in the wall of the cylinder, said arm being rigid with and extending laterally from the plunger and being pressed against the bulb as it is swung laterally, thereby compressing it a little and forcing some of the air out of it, so-that in the timed return of the bulb to its normal shape the arm will be forced outwardly by the bulb and returned to its normal position, and the plunger will be shot back by the spring to tire a cap placed over an anvil in the lower end of the cylinder. This form of load-andre mechanism permits setting the grenade in readiness for use and locking it with a safety pin inserted in a radial hole in the plunger that registers with the longitudinal portion of the bayonet slot in the cylinder only in the cocked position of the plunger, so that the arm on the plunger cannot swing back under pressure from the bulb. This is when the cap should be inserted, and hence this feature is also a safety feature in that it makes it :safer to reload the grenade with a cap and greatly reduces the danger of a cap being fired prematurely while the child is holding the grenade, although even that could really do no more harm than could the ring of a cap in the conventional cap pistols, which have generally been sanctioned as reasonably safe for children to play with.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- FIGS. l and 2 are a side View and end view, respectively, of a toy hand grenade made in accordance with my invention, FIG. 2 being taken looking at the right hand end of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a top View;

FIG. 4 is an end view similarly as FIG. 2, but looking at the opposite end, this View being taken from the left hand end of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section on line 5 5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a side view like FIG. l but showing the grenade cocked, ready for use, with the safety pin inserted, and with a cap inserted in ring position, and

FIG. 7 is an end view sirrnilar to FIG. 4 but showing the parts in the positions of FIG. 6.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts in these seven views.

Referring to the drawing, the reference numeral S designates a molded rubber bulb with a small air exhaust and inlet hole 9 provided in one end wherein a whistle 3,0l9,554 Patented Feb. 6, 1962 may also be provided, if desired, as indicated in dotted lines at 1t) in FIG. 5, the other end 11 of the bulb having a circular socket 12 molded therein to receive the cylindrical projection 13 provided on the transverse frame member 14, the connection 12--13 being suitably cemented. The bulb 8 is molded to the shape shown with longitudinally and transversely extending grooves in intersecting relation on the exterior thereof to simulate the actual hand grenades used in both World Wars. The frame member 14 may be of plastic or other light weight material and has a hollow neck portion 15 in laterally spaced parallel relation to the projection 13, this neck portion being internally threaded, Ias shown at 16 in FIG. 5, for threaded engagement therein of one end of a tubular member 17, which is preferably of metallic construction but might also be made of a suitable plastic or other light weight material and has its other end 1d closed, deiining an anvil surface 19 on the inner side thereof against which a cap 20 of the kind now commonly used in toy cap pistols can be placed for tiring. The firing device is a spring-actuated metallic plunger 21 that is freely reciprocable in the cylinder 22 provided in the tubular member 17. The closed end of the tube 17 is slotted diametrically from one side, as indicated at 23, for insertion of the cap 20, and any suitable means may be provided on one or both sides of this slot 2:3 for gripping one or both ends of the paper backing 24 of the cap 20 so that there will be no likelihood of the cap` dropping out accidentally when the grenade is thrown. Also, any convenient magazine means may be provided on the closed end of the tube 17 or elsewhere on the grenade for the holding of a roll of caps, if desired, to facilitate reloading after each firing, such means being provided on toy cap pistols, along with automatic reloading means.

A very simple and practical form of load-and-tire mechanism is employed, using the return of the bulb 8 after compression thereof to the small extent indicated at 25 in FIGS. 6 and 7 to its normal shape to :trigger the tiring, and using the air vent 9 and/ or w i'stle 10' as the timing means to predetermine the time lag for the tiring of the cap 20 in delayed relation to when 'the toy grenade is thrown, and also employing a safety locking pin Z6, the removal of which, in the same way as on the actual hand grenades used in war time, makes the grenade ready to re just before it is thrown. A bayonet slot 27 is provided in the wall of the tube 17 extending lengthwise thereof from the closed end and has a laterally extending inner end portion 28. A trigger arm 29, which is rigid with the plunger 21 and extends radially therefrom through the slot 27, isarranged to be moved along the slot 27, moving the plunger 21 against lthe compression of a spring 30 that is disposed in the cylinder 22 between the frame member 14 and the plunger 21. When the arm 29 reaches the inner end of the slot 27 it can be swung laterally against the bulb 8, and the rounded outer end 31 on the arm depresses the wall of the bulb 8, as indicated at 25. The bulb immediately tends to return to its normal uncompressed form and will accordingly force the arm 29 back out of the laterally extending end 28 of the bayonet slot 27, and, of course, as soon as the arm 29 moves clear of the end 21S of the slot, the spring 3ft shoots the plunger 21 back to its initial position at the closed end 18 of the tube 17, tiring the cap 20. However, after the safety locking pin 26 has been inserted in the radial hole 32 provided in the plunger 21, as indicated in FIG. 6, the plunger 21 is held against turning and the arm 29 is thereby also held against movement and hence the firing of a cap can be delayed as long as the operator desires. If more than one radial pin-hole 32 is provided (as seen at 32 and 32 in FIGS. 5 and 6) .n in angular relationship, the time lag between withdrawal of the pin 26 and tiring of the cap 20 can be increased or decreased, accordingly as the bulb S is depressed more or less.

In operation, the plunger 21 will be cocked by movement of the arrn or trigger 29 into the inner end 28 of slot 27 and the pin 26 will be inserted in one of the holes 32-32' to lock the plunger in cocked position for a shorter or longer time lag, as desired, while a cap 20 is inserted through slot 23 onto anvil 19. The pin 26 will not be removed until the operator is ready to throw the grenade. If a whistle is added, it is believed the sounding of this whistle as the grenade is in flight will add greatly to the enjoyment of the toy even though this feature bears no resemblance to the operation of the actual hand grenade in war time. lt lis obvious that this toy is as thoroughly safe and harmless as a toy cap pistol, even though some of its features resemble pretty closely some of the features of the actual hand grenades. The light weight construction employed reduces greatly the small amount of danger of any harm being done if a child happens to be hit with the grenade in play, and, so far as the employment of the caps Ztl is concerned, there is obviously no greater danger in that respect in this toy than there is in the use of such caps in toy cap pistols. If the pin 26 is lost, a common nail can be substituted, so that there is no danger of the toy being rendered useless on that account.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a `good understanding of the objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims have been drawn to cover all legitimate modications and adaptations.

I claim:

1. In a load and fire mechanism, the combination of a normally fully expanded bulb of compressible resilient material having a restricted air vent, a plunger reciprocablc in a cylinder adjacent said bulb, spring means normally urging said plunger in a firing direction and adapted to be loaded when the plunger is moved in the opposite direction, said cylinder having a bayonet slot provided in the wall thereof, one portion of which extends lengthwise relative to said cylinder and another portion of which at one end of the first portion extends transversely relative to said cylinder, and an arm rigid with said plunger and extending laterally therefrom through said slot and adapted to be operated manually to move the plunger in the cylinder to one end of the slot to load the spring means and then lock the plunger in cocked position by lateral movement of said arm in the transversely extending end portion of the slot, the arm in this lateral movement compressing the bulb for timed return movement of the arm by means of said bulb out of the transversely extending end portion of the slot to the tiring position.

2. A load and fire mechanism as set forth in claim l, combined with a pin removably engageable in a hole provided in said plunger and arranged to register with the longitudinally extending portion of the bayonet slot in the cocked position of said plunger, whereby to lock the plunger releasably in cocked position.

3. A mechanism as set forth in claim 2 wherein there are a plurality of holes provided in said plunger, the open outer ends of which are in circumferentially spaced relationship to one another, whereby the time lag for tiring after removal of the pin is determined by the greater or lesser amount of compression of the bulb which in turn is determined by which hole the pin enters in locking the plunger in cocked position.

4. A mechanism as set forth in claim l including an anvil at one end of said cylinder engaged by said plunger with force when the latter is fired, and pyrotechnic means tired by the engagement of said plunger with said anvil.

5. A mechanism as set forth in claim l including a whistle carried by said bulb and sounded by the rush of air through said air vent.

6. A mechanism as set forth in claim l including an anvil at one end of said cylinder engaged by said plunger with force when the latter is red, pyrotechnic means tired by the engagement of said plunger with said anvil, and a whistle carried by said bulb and sounded by the rush of air through said air vent.

7. ln a cap firing toy, the combination of a normally fully expanded bulb of compressible resilient material having a restricted air vent, a plunger reciprocable in a cylinder adjacent said bulb, spring means normally urging said plunger in a firing direction and adapted to be loaded when the plunger is moved in the opposite direction, means for supporting a cap to be tired so that the same is tired by firing of the plunger, said cylinder having a bayonet slot provided in the wall thereof, one portion of which extends lengthwise relative to said cylinder and another portion of which at one end of the first portion extends transversely relative to said cylinder, and an arm rigid with said plunger and extending laterally therefrom through said slot and adapted to be operated manually to move the plunger in the cylinder to one end of the slot to load the spring means and then lock the plunger in cocked position by lateral movement of said arm in the transversely extending end portion of the slot, the arm in this lateral movement compressing the bulb for timed return movement of the arm by means of said bulb out of the transversely extending end portion of the slot to the firing position.

8. A cap tiring toy as set forth in claim 7 including a pin removably engageable in a hole provided in said plunger and arranged to register with the longitudinally extending portion of the bayonet slot in the cocked position of said plunger, whereby to lock the plunger releasably in cocked position.

9. A cap ring toy as set forth in claim 8 wherein there are a plurality of holes provided in said plunger, the open outer ends of which are in circumferentially spaced relationship to one another, whereby the time lag for firing after removal of the pin is determined by the greater or lesser amount of compression of the bulb which in turn is determined by which hole the pin enters in locking the plunger in cocked position.

l0. A cap tiring toy as set forth in claim 7 including a whistle carried by said bulb and sounded by the rush of air through said air vent.

ll. A toy hand grenade comprising a generally L- shaped frame having a cylinder provided in one leg of the L, a normally fully expanded bulb of compressible resilient material mounted by an end portion on the other arm of the L closely alongside the first mentioned arm, said bulb having a restricted air Vent, a plunger reciprocable in said cylinder, a coiled compression spring normally urging said plunger in a iring direction in said cylinder and adapted to be compressed when the plunger is moved in the opposite direction, means for supporting a cap in one end of said cylinder to be red by firing of said plunger, said cylinder having a bayonet slot provided in the wall thereof, one portion of which extends lengthwise relative to said cylinder and another portion of which at one end of the lirst portion extends transversely relative to said cylinder, and an arm rigidV with said plunger and extending laterally therefrom through said slot and adapted to be operated manually to move the plunger in the cylinder to one end of the slot to load the spring means and then lock the plunger in cocked position by lateral movement of said arm in the transversely extending end portion of the slot, the arm in this lateral movement compressing the bulb for timed return movement of the arm by means of said bulb out of the transversely extending end portion of the slot to the firing position.

l2. A toy hand grenade as set forth in claim ll including a pin removably engageable in a hole provided in said plunger and arranged to register with the longitudinally extending portion of the bayonet slot in the cocked position of said plunger, whereby to lock the plunger releasably in cocked position.

13. A toy hand grenade as set forth in claim 12 Wherein there are a plurality of holes provided in said plunger,

the open outer ends of which are in circumferentially 5 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Wicks Dec. 20, 1904 Lyman July 19, 1910 Roitman Apr. 14, 1914 Wiefelsputz Apr. 19, 1932 Marks Aug. 11, 1953 Horowitz et al Mar. 13, 1956 Cohn Jan. 20, 1959 

